The present invention relates to an apparatus for forming a vehicle window assembly, and the method of using such apparatus to form such vehicle window assembly. More particularly, the invention relates to one or more apparatus and the method(s) of utilizing same to dispose one or more items of hardware onto a dielectric substrate to form a vehicle window assembly.
Induction heating for various types of bonding has been described in the patent literature, for example:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,288,375 describes an induction heating apparatus and method for heating a substantially continuous bondline defined by a length of thermally responsive bonding material positioned between a first member and a second member. The inductive heating apparatus includes a flexible, reshapeable cable assembly positionable adjacent the first member along the first bondline. The flexible, reshapeable cable assembly is capable of being manually shaped to a first shape of the first bondline, and then being manually reshaped to a second shape of a second bondline different than the first shape of the first bondline.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,323,468 describes a static coil induction welding apparatus and method for induction welding thermoplastic composite structures. The apparatus includes a plurality of independent coil segments disposed adjacent one another in side-by-side fashion to form a coil pack. A plurality of such coil packs are disposed in side-by-side fashion to form a coil assembly which covers the entire area of the weld zone. An AC power supply associated with each coil pack applies an AC signal through a switching network to electrically energize its associated coil segments such that the AC signals are in predetermined phase relationships relative to one another, thus generating a plurality of eddy current loops in a susceptor placed between the components being welded. The switching network alternately switches the coil segments such that the AC signals applied to the coil segments are shifted back and forth between adjacently disposed coil segments repeatedly approximately every 0.5 seconds. This produces a back and forth lateral shifting of the induced eddy current loops by about one-half the width of one current loop to provide uniform heating of the susceptor. It is also said to eliminate various drawbacks associated with dynamic coil induction welding systems, and to allow feedback control over the power applied to each coil pack.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,849,837 describes a method for using magnetic fields to heat magnetically susceptible materials within and/or adjacent to adhesives so as to bond, bind or fasten solid materials to one another. The system uses alternating magnetic fields that induce eddy currents and generate heat within susceptors. An induction heating tool is used to emit the magnetic field at its work coil and an electronic controller measures the energy being used by a power converter that generates the alternating current driving the work coil which creates the magnetic field.
U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2008/0164248 describes a method and device for simultaneously soldering plural electrical connections in which contact elements have to be soldered to soldered-connection faces positioned on a non-metallic glazing. A soldering tool is used to emit a magnetic field toward the solder spots to heat them by induction. The size and shape of the soldering tool corresponds to the surface area over which the plural solder spots to be simultaneously heated in the soldering operation are situated. Additionally, the frequency of the AC voltage applied to the loop or coil is matched to the connection geometry but will be a maximum of 150 KHz.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,002,117 describes a device for welding a moving packaging material including a layer that can be heated by electromagnetic induction and a thermoplastic layer incorporating a welding zone which lies in the direction of movement of the packaging material; the welding device includes an alternating current generator, a coil for transforming the alternating current into a magnetic field, a ferromagnetic element for channeling the magnetic field lines in a specific direction, the magnetic field being oriented so as to cross the packaging material in order to induce heating of the layer that can be heated by electromagnetic induction; the welding device being characterized in that it includes a set of ferromagnetic elements which are arranged so that the magnetic field lines cross the packaging material in at least two distinct regions located along the welding zone. By use of such a device, the packaging is said to undergo, in the welding zone, a first heating followed by an interruption and a second heating.